Food additives found to fuel hyperactivity

DAVID ANDREATTA, "Food additives found to fuel hyperactivity", Globe
and Mail, September 6, 2007,
Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...andHealth/home

Ordinary food colouring and a common preservative found in everything
from fruit drinks to jam have been conclusively linked to
hyperactivity in children for the first time, according to British
researchers.

Their findings, published today in The Lancet medical journal, could
have profound implications for the regulation of additives and the
diets of children who exhibit frenetic behaviour, researchers said.

Within hours of announcing the results of the study, the Guardian
newspaper reported that the British government had taken the
significant step of recommending that parents avoid giving products
containing multiple additives to children who show signs of
hyperactivity.

The study involved 153 preschool children and 144 aged 8 or 9 who were
given ordinary fruit juice or one of two drinks identical in look and
taste that contained varying levels of artificial food colouring and a
set amount of the common preservative sodium benzoate.

One batch with the additives contained the average daily intake of
food colouring for both age groups. The other had elevated levels
equivalent to two 56-gram bags of sweets for the three-year-olds and
four bags for the older children.

None of the children had extreme hyperactivity or attention-deficit
disorders, and they did not consume other foods containing sodium
benzoate during the six-week study.

Investigators reported that the drink containing benzoate spiked with
the higher level of food colouring had a "significantly adverse"
effect on the three-year-olds, while both mixes increased
hyperactivity in the eight- and nine-year-olds.

Across the board, the children who consumed the elevated mix moved
about 10 per cent closer to an internationally accepted definition of
hyperactivity.

"We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and
benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of
children," said researcher Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at
the University of Southampton.

Citing previous research that suggested that some children with
behavioural disorders could benefit from removing certain food
preservatives and colours from their diet, Dr. Stevenson said simply
removing the additives from food would not prevent hyperactivity in
children. "We know that many other influences are at work, but this at
least is one a child can avoid," he said.

Links between diet and hyperactivity have been vigorously debated for
more than three decades, with researchers on both sides dismissing the
others' findings as inconclusive.

Experts on hyperactivity and food additives attribute the failure to
arrive at any firm conclusions in part to the difficulty of isolating
for study the numerous additives and preservatives commonly found in
food.

Fluctuations in hyperactive behaviour among children under the
microscope have also muddied past research.

So the news yesterday that researchers claimed to lay to rest any
doubt that food additives contribute to hyperactivity was greeted with
skepticism by the International Food Additives Council, an Atlanta-
based trade association.

"It's been my impression that, when it comes to anecdotal studies,
there are people who tend to think food additives have something to do
with hyperactivity. But when you put these studies into more carefully
controlled situations, they don't pan out," said Andrew Ebert, a
consultant for the trade association, who noted that he could not
comment directly on the study because he had not seen it. Dr. Ebert
said the organization would review the findings in the coming days.

The theory that hyperactive children could benefit from a diet devoid
of artificial colours and flavours was pioneered in the 1970s by Ben
Feingold. His Feingold Cookbook for Hyperactive Children, published in
1979, proposed eliminating such things as soft drinks, cake and
luncheon meat from the diets of youngsters.

While much of Dr. Feingold's work remains controversial, pediatricians
who specialize in treating overactive children say it is generally
accepted that some foods worsen hyperactivity in some children. They
note, however, that no evidence suggests certain foods cause
hyperactivity, and that behavioural reactions to food are often
subtle.

Bill Mahoney, associate professor of pediatrics at McMaster
University, said after reviewing the British study yesterday that its
findings reinforced those notions. "This isn't taking very placid
children and turning them into kids who are running all over the
place," Dr. Mahoney said. "The effects, in general, are very small."

Philip Shaw, a clinical fellow at the National Institute of Mental
Health in Bethesda, Md., said the study was probably the most
comprehensive of its kind, but questioned whether it would have the
sort of far-reaching implications that its researchers imagined.

*****

Sodium benzoate

What is sodium benzoate?

E211, also known as sodium benzoate, is a derivative of benzoic acid.
It is added in large amounts to carbonated drinks to prevent bacterial
growth.

What other health concerns are related to sodium benzoate?

Health Canada found 20 per cent of soft drinks and other beverages it
analyzed in a spot check last year included benzene, a known
carcinogen. Where are additives like sodium benzoate and food
colouring found?

Sodium benzoate is widely used in carbonated beverages, and artificial
food colouring is used in candies, ice creams, drinks and many other
kinds of snacks.

What happens if children eat them occasionally anyway?

The study showed that some children appear to be more susceptible to
hyperactivity than others. Kids with behavioural problems may benefit
from eliminating these additives from their diets, while others are
able to handle occasional exposure.

Source: The Globe and Mail and the Guardian

On Sep 6, 10:00 am, Roman Bystrianyk wrote:
DAVID ANDREATTA, "Food additives found to fuel hyperactivity", Globe
and Mail, September 6, 2007,
Link:http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...0906.whyperkid...

Ordinary food colouring and a common preservative found in everything
from fruit drinks to jam have been conclusively linked to
hyperactivity in children for the first time, according to British
researchers.

Their findings, published today in The Lancet medical journal, could
have profound implications for the regulation of additives and the
diets of children who exhibit frenetic behaviour, researchers said.

Within hours of announcing the results of the study, the Guardian
newspaper reported that the British government had taken the
significant step of recommending that parents avoid giving products
containing multiple additives to children who show signs of
hyperactivity.

The study involved 153 preschool children and 144 aged 8 or 9 who were
given ordinary fruit juice or one of two drinks identical in look and
taste that contained varying levels of artificial food colouring and a
set amount of the common preservative sodium benzoate.

One batch with the additives contained the average daily intake of
food colouring for both age groups. The other had elevated levels
equivalent to two 56-gram bags of sweets for the three-year-olds and
four bags for the older children.

None of the children had extreme hyperactivity or attention-deficit
disorders, and they did not consume other foods containing sodium
benzoate during the six-week study.

Investigators reported that the drink containing benzoate spiked with
the higher level of food colouring had a "significantly adverse"
effect on the three-year-olds, while both mixes increased
hyperactivity in the eight- and nine-year-olds.

Across the board, the children who consumed the elevated mix moved
about 10 per cent closer to an internationally accepted definition of
hyperactivity.

"We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and
benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of
children," said researcher Jim Stevenson, a professor of psychology at
the University of Southampton.

Citing previous research that suggested that some children with
behavioural disorders could benefit from removing certain food
preservatives and colours from their diet, Dr. Stevenson said simply
removing the additives from food would not prevent hyperactivity in
children. "We know that many other influences are at work, but this at
least is one a child can avoid," he said.

Links between diet and hyperactivity have been vigorously debated for
more than three decades, with researchers on both sides dismissing the
others' findings as inconclusive.

Experts on hyperactivity and food additives attribute the failure to
arrive at any firm conclusions in part to the difficulty of isolating
for study the numerous additives and preservatives commonly found in
food.

Fluctuations in hyperactive behaviour among children under the
microscope have also muddied past research.

So the news yesterday that researchers claimed to lay to rest any
doubt that food additives contribute to hyperactivity was greeted with
skepticism by the International Food Additives Council, an Atlanta-
based trade association.

"It's been my impression that, when it comes to anecdotal studies,
there are people who tend to think food additives have something to do
with hyperactivity. But when you put these studies into more carefully
controlled situations, they don't pan out," said Andrew Ebert, a
consultant for the trade association, who noted that he could not
comment directly on the study because he had not seen it. Dr. Ebert
said the organization would review the findings in the coming days.

The theory that hyperactive children could benefit from a diet devoid
of artificial colours and flavours was pioneered in the 1970s by Ben
Feingold. His Feingold Cookbook for Hyperactive Children, published in
1979, proposed eliminating such things as soft drinks, cake and
luncheon meat from the diets of youngsters.

While much of Dr. Feingold's work remains controversial, pediatricians
who specialize in treating overactive children say it is generally
accepted that some foods worsen hyperactivity in some children. They
note, however, that no evidence suggests certain foods cause
hyperactivity, and that behavioural reactions to food are often
subtle.

Bill Mahoney, associate professor of pediatrics at McMaster
University, said after reviewing the British study yesterday that its
findings reinforced those notions. "This isn't taking very placid
children and turning them into kids who are running all over the
place," Dr. Mahoney said. "The effects, in general, are very small."

Philip Shaw, a clinical fellow at the National Institute of Mental
Health in Bethesda, Md., said the study was probably the most
comprehensive of its kind, but questioned whether it would have the
sort of far-reaching implications that its researchers imagined.

*****

Sodium benzoate

What is sodium benzoate?

E211, also known as sodium benzoate, is a derivative of benzoic acid.
It is added in large amounts to carbonated drinks to prevent bacterial
growth.

What other health concerns are related to sodium benzoate?

Health Canada found 20 per cent of soft drinks and other beverages it
analyzed in a spot check last year included benzene, a known
carcinogen. Where are additives like sodium benzoate and food
colouring found?

Sodium benzoate is widely used in carbonated beverages, and artificial
food colouring is used in candies, ice creams, drinks and many other
kinds of snacks.

What happens if children eat them occasionally anyway?

The study showed that some children appear to be more susceptible to
hyperactivity than others. Kids with behavioural problems may benefit
from eliminating these additives from their diets, while others are
able to handle occasional exposure.

Source: The Globe and Mail and the Guardian

Great stuff, Roman, thank you.

One product that I use regularly had "preservatives" listed in it, and
I went back to the company to find out what it was, and how much of it
was there. They told me that they put this on "to be safe" because
somewhere, very early in the process, they use those little bags of
dessicant to keep their herbs from going moldy. That's NOT a smart
idea to label as such, because it is such a turn off.

That, of course, isn't what we mean here when we state "food
preservative." The word "preservative" is more and more a kiss of
death for a marketer . . .

Dave

Roman Bystrianyk wrote...
Citing previous research that suggested that some children with
behavioural disorders could benefit from removing certain food
preservatives and colours from their diet, Dr. Stevenson said simply
removing the additives from food would not prevent hyperactivity in
children. "We know that many other influences are at work, but this at
least is one a child can avoid," he said.

Oh, the horror! Imagine a childhood so oppressive that not just your
mommy but the government as well makes you eat your vegetables. I
can already imagine school teachers and principles holding the threat
of a behavioral disorder diagnosis over kids' heads, letting them
know that talking in class or cheating on tests will get their candy
taken away and replaced with Soylent flakes. Only a totalitarian
country like the UK could think of something so cruel.